Buyers Guide 2023

Reducing energy consumption in today’s highly competitive industrial environment is likely to be higher on most, if not all of today’s manufacturers’ agendas, especially due to current higher energy costs. With automation playing an increasingly important role in many applications maximising the efficiency of robots will be of significant interest across all manufacturing sectors. Features such as regenerative braking can make a big difference to the efficiency of robots, recovering braking energy and feeding it back into the power grid without the need for additional hardware. Motion control and Robotics specialists YASKAWA has developed an important solution for the recovery of robot braking energy and offers this feature as standard on its larger Motoman robot’s with a payload upwards of 50kg. t | 0330 678 1990 e | jonny.grey@yaskawa.eu. w | www.Yaskawa.co.uk w | www.yaskawa.eu.com/header-meta/ news-events/article/yaskawa-robots-with- regenerative-braking_n18865 Robots with regenerative braking Specific Power: Get more output, use less energy, lower costs 32 | Plant & Works Engineering www.pwemag.co.uk Annual Buyers’ Guide 2023 Process, Controls & Plant Improved burner performance Estimates suggest that Class 4 moisture content according to ISO 8573-1 is acceptable in the majority of compressed air system applications, thus supporting the use of refrigeration dryer technology. However, where applications demand higher levels of moisture removal, desiccant tends to be the go-to technology. The long-standing problem here is the higher cost associated with desiccant dryers, which is why HI-LINE INDUSTRIES, a UK-based leader in the design, manufacture and installation of energy-efficient compressed air purification equipment, is addressing this issue with its new Hi-Plex dual technology dryers. This hybrid solution combines Hi-line’s established refrigeration and PSA (Pressure Swing Adsorption) air treatment technologies, creating an energy-efficient system at low capital cost compared with standard heat-regeneration desiccant air dryers. So how does Hi-Plex work? Well, a Hi-line Tundra refrigeration system first removes bulk moisture via zero loss auto-drains, after which it chills the air to +1°C in the heat exchanger, condensing out all water to a +3°C PDP (Pressure Dewpoint). From here, the pre-dried air passes into an energy-efficient HPSA (Hi-line Pressure Swing Adsorption) dryer where it is further dried via adsorption to lower dewpoints of between -20°C PDP and -70°C PDP depending on end-user requirements, meeting Class 2 moisture content in accordance with ISO8573.1. As a point of note, Hi-line can add an Activated Carbon Tower for Class 0 applications. Hi-Plex regeneration takes place by deploying a vacuumed-assisted fan, which uses a reduced amount of purge air to cause a desorption effect within the desiccant beds. A side-channel vacuum pump removes the small amount of remaining water (via exhaust silencers) back to the atmosphere from where it came. This plug and play system is fully automatic: wet air in – dry air out. t | 01283 533377 e | enquiries@hilineindustries.com w | www.hilineindustries.com Hi-Plex hybrid technology HPC discusses Specific Power: the energy efficiency rating of a compressor is called Specific Power – the lower it is, the more you save in energy and money. How is Specific Power Calculated? – Specific Power is the ratio of total energy used by the compressor and its compressed air output (at a stated pressure). The lower the Specific Power, the greater the efficiency, and money savings. Using this calculation, we can see that HPC’s SM13 Rotary Screw Compressor’s Specific Power is 6.4 KW/m 3 /min: Energy Used ÷ Compressed Air Output = Specific Power 8.56kW ÷ 1.33m 3 /min = 6.4 KW/m 3 /min Equivalent non-HPC compressors typically have a higher Specific Power, exceeding 7.0 KW/m3/min. How Does This Save You Money? – The cost saving is calculated by multiplying the Specific Power by the total volume of compressed air, by the cost per kWh: Specific Power x Total Volume Compressed Air x Cost Per kWh = £ – This means that investing in a compressor from HPC saves you money in the long-term. In fact, HPC saves customers up to £25,000 in electricity costs per year. HPC KAESER Strategy: “More Air, Less Energy” – HPC compressors are designed to ensure they have the best Specific Power to save customers on energy costs. If you are looking for a compressed air solution, then speak to an HPC Authorised Distributor or contact HPC directly. We will show you how choosing HPC can save you money and turn your operation greener. t | 0845 4300472 e | web.enquiry@hpcplc.co.uk w | www.hpccompressors.co.uk/ w | https://www.hpccompressors.co.uk/media/159680/specific-power.pdf RIELLO says its RS and RLS 310 to 610 ranges of burners with electronic cam control are proving increasingly popular with specifiers and end users that want to improve efficiency and reduce environmental impact. Precise positioning of the servomotors afforded by electronic cam control improves air fuel ratio control and reduces heat loss through the flue. Additionally, improved control of boiler temperature with integrated PID (Proportional Integral Derivative) reduces boiler stop/starts, saving energy from purge losses, and maximises the potential for improved burner turndown ratio. Thermal stresses on the boiler are minimised by safe start-up of the plant from cold. A further advantage of electronic cam control is that it avoids the wear and tear that occurs with mechanical cams and linkages over time, thereby improving reliability and avoiding hysteresis. t | 01480 432144 e | info@rielloburners.co.uk w | www.rielloburners.co.uk